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Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley to headline sci-fi romance Fingernails

Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley to headline sci-fi romance Fingernails

Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed and Oscar-nominated actress Jessie Buckley have joined forces to headline Christos Nikou’s English-language feature film debut Fingernails.

A leading publication reports that FilmNation is launching sales on the project at the Cannes Film Festival, set to commence next week. FilmNation is co-repping U.S. rights with CAA Media Finance and WME Independent.


Nikou has scripted his new project with Sam Steiner and Apples co-writer Stavros Raptis. Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films is producing alongside Arrival outfit FilmNation Entertainment, which is also financing. Jerome Duboz is onboard to serve as executive producer.

“In the world of surreal drama, described as a “grounded sci-fi love story,” a test has been discovered that measures whether couples are truly in love. To help couples succeed, love institutes have opened to guide them. Anna (Buckley) is skeptical of the positive result she’s received with her longtime partner, so she starts working in a love institute as an assistant to Trevor (Ahmed), a mysterious, dedicated instructor.”

The makers are yet to lock the date for the theatrical release of the film.

On the work front, Jessie Buckley also has Alex Garland and A24’s Cannes-bound Men and MGM’s Women Talking. She also stars in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial debut Hot Milk.

Ahmed recently won an Oscar for the best live-action short film The Long Goodbye and was featured in the Amazon film Encounter.

Keep visiting this space over and again for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.

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Relies on body horror, sound design and shock value over spectacle

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How Lee Cronin’s 'The Mummy' turns a classic adventure into a domestic horror

Highlights

  • Moves away from the adventure tone of The Mummy (1999) into possession-led horror
  • Shifts the setting from desert tombs to a family home in Albuquerque
  • Focuses on parental fear and a “returned” child rather than treasure hunting
  • Relies on body horror, sound design and shock value over spectacle
  • Critics call it bold and unsettling, but uneven in storytelling

From desert spectacle to domestic dread

For decades, The Mummy has been tied to adventure, romance and spectacle, most famously in The Mummy (1999). That version thrived on sweeping desert landscapes, archaeological intrigue and a sense of escapism.

Lee Cronin takes a sharply different route. His reworking strips away the sense of adventure and relocates the horror into the home. The story still begins in Egypt, anchored by an ancient sarcophagus, but quickly shifts to the United States, where the real tension unfolds inside a family house.

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